Torchlighter Times

Welcome to our Townley Torchlighter Family Newsletter.

This is a look at this month including updates, announcements and upcoming events.

News from the Principal, Ms. Clark

I cannot believe we are in summer mode! Thank you our students, families, staff, and volunteers for your love and support this school year. It was wonderful to celebrate with you the accomplishments of our amazing Torchlighters. The awards celebrations are reminder of the mission, vision and values of Townley Elementary.

Our Mission: At Townley, we ensure that all Torchlighters will learn and grow.

Our Vision: Torchlighters will shine brighter one day at a time.

We value: Relationships, Kindness & Gratitude, Empathy, Perseverance & Growth, Respectfulness, Responsibility,

and A Positive Learning Environment

The Torch Run was a great success. We enjoyed ourselves at the ice cream celebration that Irving PD brought to Townley We raised $7953.44. Incredible! Again, this speaks to what we value.

Thank you PTA for your support in May with Ice Pops as the heat wave came in. Also, thank you for sponsoring the Tech Truck Visit and 5th grade's celebration day. We look forward to growing our PTA chapter at Townley.

Thank you for continuing to keep the lines of communication open between your family and our staff. We are all working together to grow your child and we are grateful to be a part of your child's educational journey.

Here are a few important reminders:

Keep reading! You can access SORA during the summer. The Irving Public Library also has summer reading programs and experiences planned. Check them out!
Keep working on your math skills. This can take place with ST Math (online with your student's dsahboard). You can also grow in your math skills through different games: High-ho Cheery-O! Chuttes and Ladders, Monopoly, Yatzhee
Stay active! Get outside and play. Stay safe.

Upcoming dates and events to note:

July - Registration for the 2025-26 school year continues
August 11th - Meet the Teacher 4:30-6:00 pm
August 13th- First day of School

Anne Clark

Principal

Kim Rivera

Assistant Principal- PreK (Sierra & Esparza), Kinder, 2nd, 4th grade, and Life

Allen Edwards

Assistant Principal- PreK (Conley-Johnson, Vasquez & Zarate), 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade

Tips from Mrs. Rivera!

As we approach the end of the school year, it’s important to help your child finish strong by maintaining routines and encouraging consistent effort. Staying focused during these final weeks helps reinforce everything they’ve learned and sets them up for success next year. Please continue to support good attendance, set aside time for reading at home, and talk with your child about their goals for the last day of school. Your partnership makes a big difference in keeping students motivated and confident through the final stretch!

As we wrap up the school year, we also want to wish all our families a safe, healthy, and joyful summer break! While it’s tempting to rely on screens for entertainment, we encourage you to explore fun and free activities that keep your child active and engaged. Visit your local library for books and summer reading programs, take nature walks, have outdoor picnics, or create art projects with items around the house. Helping your child stay curious and creative over the summer can make a big difference when they return to school in the fall.

Until Next Year...

🔥 Kim Rivera 🔥
Assistant Principal

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

News from Mr. Edwards!

We've Made It!

Dear Parents,

We have made it through the 24-25 school year through all of it's challenges and fears. I want to thank you parents for trusting us to educate and to take care of your children. Your support and understanding have really been helpful and we could not have done without you. For some of the families, these was your first time at Townley and you were as nervous as your child was, but together we worked through it and had a successful year. As a team, we can accomplish great things. Students and parents have a great safe summer and keep the learning going.

Allen Edwards

Assistant Principal

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth.”

― William W. Purkey

PTA NEWS

THANK YOU!

PTA did a lot of great things this 24-25 school year and we couldn't have done it without the support of you.

Here is to a even better 25-26 school year.

We are always looking for volunteers!

ptatorchlighters@yahoo.com

WELCOME BACK BASH 25-26

TBD: AUGUST 2025

NEWS FROM YOUR FRONT OFFICE

Cafeteria door opens at 7:15. Other doors open at 7:30 am. Students are considered late if they are not in the building at 7:45 and parents will need to walk in and sign them in for the day. They are missing out on valuable class time and activities when they are not present. Be here, everyday, ready and ON TIME!

Please do not "stop" text messages from us or your teacher. You will miss out valuable communication. We try to only send attendance and necessary updates.
If your student is absent, please call the office or email Faith. Only a doctor's notes will be accepted after the third absence in order to be excused.

Faith Gallaga: tgallaga@irvingisd.net 972-600-6865

Returning to Irving ISD Student Registration is open--Use HAC and complete it early, everyone must do so.

Home Access Center (HAC). This is the best way to keep informed with your student's attendance and grades as well. Progress reports and report cards are only viewable through HAC.

Please advise the office if you will be moving over the summer and not returning to Townley in August.

Contact the front office for any questions regarding HAC at 972-600-6800.

News from the Nurse

Since it is the end of this school year, I have a few items which must be addressed prior to the next school year:

If your child has a medication in the clinic, please pick up or contact me with permission to send home with your child. I am sending home permission forms with your child's medicine. Permission is only effective for one school year, so we must renew it every year. I hope to make it easier for you to have it completed and returned to school the first day.

Also, I will be sending vaccination notices home on those who are delinquent. This is very important. Please get these updated as soon as possible. Due to state law if these are not updated, your child will not have a classroom at the start of next school year. After you get your child vaccinated, please bring the updated shot record to the school within the two weeks prior to the start of school so we can place your child in the classroom.

I hope you have a healthy, active, fun summer.

Townley Counselors

Cynthia Blood

Counselor for:

Pre-K ( Sierra, Conley Johnson), Kinder, 2nd and 4th grades

cblood@irvingisd.net

972-600-6809

We are here to help with any concerns you may have. Feel free to reach out anytime.

Yeini Weempe

Counselor for:

Pre-K (Esparza, Zarate), 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grade

yweempe@irvingisd.net

972-600-6810

Attendance is such an important factor in student achievement! Thank you for your help in bringing our amazing Torchlighters to school each and every day. Our 5th graders are also learning about Middle School course selections and other important information.

Let us know if we can help you or your family in anyway.

Thanks,

Mrs. Weempe & Mrs. Blood

972-600-6810 or 972-600-6809

Stay Safe This Summer

Continue to Practice Good Hand Hygiene
Keep Children Away from Burn Hazards
Avoid Trampolines
According TDFPS Children Under 12 Should Not Be Left Alone at Home
Ensure Children Wear a Helmet While on Wheels
Teach Your Kids How to Call 911 in Case of an Emergency

Healthy Tips for a Fun Summer

It is important for the physical and mental health of children to be active. Check for free or low-cost sports camps at their school or the local rec center—or get active by walking, biking, or roller skating as a family during the summer . Play fitness bingo or other creative games when you're with a group of friends for fun ways to pass time while also getting your bodies moving.

Keep children physically active 1 hour a day
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
Encourage and monitor healthy food choices
Limit social media time
Be a good role model

Students at Townley Elementary are learning the importance of being respectful, responsible and ready at all times. Encourage your child to tell you about ways they can earn Torch Tickets by displaying the 3 R's at school.

LIBRARY NEWS

Dear Townley Families,

Summertime provides time to dive into good books! Irving ISD Libraries has many summer reading resources at https://www.irvingisd.net/summerreading.

Irving ISD has partnered with the radio station, KERA, to provide even more summer reading fun! (Please see the flyer below to sign up.)

Are you going on a road trip? Make sure to borrow an audio book on Sora, our digital library, for your family to listen to in the car! Your child can access read-alouds, e-books, and magazines there, too! If your child is motivated by prizes, encourage them to log all their summer reading minutes on Beanstack.

The Irving Public Library will welcome you and your child this summer! Getting a public library card is free. All you have to do is show proof of your Irving address. Then, you can check out books, movies, and more!!!

Wishing you many restful moments reading by yourself and with your child this summer.

Remember . . . BOOKS can take you anywhere!

Happy reading,

Carol Bullman

Librarian

Instructional Interventionists Info & Tips

Rebecca Rice, Interventionist //

Melissa Hettish, Academic Specialist

Ways to Prevent Summer Slide

As we say good-bye to the school year and move into summer, we are excited about the time we will have to rest and have fun with family and friends.

This final newsletter will share a few tips to help prevent the summer slide we see in many students when they come back the next school year.

What is summer slide? It is a loss of learning that occurs over the summer break. Students will often start the summer at a higher level and then forget some of what they learned when the next school year starts. This causes students to start the next school year at a lower level than where they ended in the previous school year.

We have seen so many students grow this year and celebrated so much growth at our recent awards ceremonies! We want to keep moving in the right direction to help our students to continue to grow and make progress.

Here are some things you can do to help your student reduce the risk of summer slide and keep the learning momentum going.

1 - Read every day for 20 minutes. This can be a physical book from the library or a digital book. (See Ms. Bullman's section of the newsletter about summer reading opportunities.) Read to your child or have your child read to you! After you are done reading, talk about what happened in the story and discuss their favorite part.

2 - Do some small tasks to review some reading and math skills.

Write the numbers 1-20
Count out 10 toys and find different ways to make 10
Skip count by 10’s, 5’s, and/or 2’s to 100
Count to the highest number you can count to
Find a toy or item that starts with 5 letters of the alphabet (and do the next five the next day, until you finish the alphabet)
Write everyone’s name in your family
Draw letters or words in the dirt outside
Find letters outside as you drive
Find words you can read on cereal boxes
Read environmental text - words on signs, talk about names of letters on signs and what sounds they make.
Get some flashcards at the dollar store to work on addition facts for lower grades and multiplication facts for upper grades.

3 - Work on writing by keeping a summer journal. Students can keep up with their writing skills by journaling about the different things they are doing during the summer. They can also add a drawing for fun! Remember to start from the top when forming letters!

We are so proud of all of our Torchlighters and wish you all a very happy, safe, and fun summer!

See you next year!